I 2nd what Pegasus recommended. My boys have really enjoyed the DSA books; very funny & entertaining.

Have you tried http://www.swrtraining.com?

What is the difference between Classical and Koine Greek? I like the idea of Koine Greek because of the New Testament conncection? To be honest, I hadn't thought about my reasons for teaching either language that thoroughly so I appreciate everyone's input!

My dad was watching my boys earlier this week and he gave them each a $1 bill to put in their bank. My little guy who is 2.5 came running back and pointed to the picture on the bill..."Look Papa, it's George Washington." My dad couldn't believe it. If only potty-training could be so easy! :D What have your little ones repeated that the older kids were learning that has really impressed friends or family!

I'm having a debate with myself whether to teach Greek or Latin to my dc. I know Latin would be beneficial because it reinforces grammar and many of our words are Latin-based. The downside is that it's a dead language and you dont speak it. Greek also sounds interesting. My dc have enjoyed learning the Greek alphabet (orally) and the upside would be they could actually speak it. I'm just not sure what other benefits there are. I'd appreciate any input as to why you chose one language over the other. Another option would be to scrap the whole idea and just teach Spanish :).

Ok...I almost ruined my keyboard after spitting out my coffee when reading your response. The "twinkie defense"...Brilliant!:D

I'm debating which series to purchase first. I really like the fact that they're both biblically-based. I'm looking for read-alouds for my 7.5 & 4.5 year-old boys and what's better than knights and chivalry. Both series look really similiar so I'm looking recommendations from anyone who has read either. Thanks, Tiffany

I looked up the Chronicles of Terrestria series on Amazon and they look great. I just can't tell which is the 1st book. Would you mind listing the 1st couple in the series? Thanks p.s. The dragon looks fantastic!

I basically followed the chapters from SOTW 1 on the Ancient Greeks and just expanded it a bit. I'm having my boys learn the greek alphabet (orally), we're reading a lot of Greek mythology, reading an Aesop's Fable daily, etc. For Science, I picked Archimedes, Pythagoras, Eratosthenes. Ptolemy and maybe Aristotle and we spend one week learing about each. We learned about each man's contribution to science, read their bios, did a few experiments. I'll probably wrap up the unit by going over some of the books from the New Testament that have connections to Greece. I did this because we've been co-oping with a friend and they hadn't used SOTW yet. We were already 1/2 thru SOTW 1 so rather than start again, I just had them begin with Ancient Greece and turned it into a mini unit-study. We'll do the same with Ancient Rome and wrap up SOTW 1 around May. Hope that helps!

There's nothing wrong with a little good-natured debate! :)

I understand that families aren't always in a position to homeschool and have no alternative but to send their children to public school. Most of my friends have their children in public school and I would never question their decision. I was a product of the public school system and ultimately obtained a master's degree so I guess I did ok. I guess the point I was trying to make was in response to some who I know who believe the public educational system is the only way to go and is far superior to what homeschoolers can do. To have an honest debate however, it has to be pointed out that there are two sides to both homeschooling and the public education system. There are homeschool kids thriving all across the country, scoring highly on standardized tests, are socially active and doing quite well . Their parents, regardless of their own educational level, are doing their best to provide a quality education. On the flip side, there are homeschool parents out there that feel that just allowing their kids to "live life" will suffice and that baking cookies will teach their kids reading and math. Personally, I think this is a small minority. Some of my best friends are public school teachers (in good districts) and daily face the same challenges that you've encountered with homeschoolers. Many kids can barely read, are struggling with basic math and can't point out the continent of Afica on a map. When my teacher friends ask kids why they didn't do their homework, the usual response is that they were too busy playing video games or watching TV. My teacher friends also say that they are forced every day to teach only that which will help kids score high on standardized tests. They readily admit that most of their joy and creativity has been taken out of their jobs. I do understand the debate but for me, it's just sad that kids in public schools today aren't even getting the same education that I received a few years ago. I'm just thankful I have a choice.

We had friends over last night for Superbowl and one asked me what we were currently studying. I began telling her about our mini-unit on Ancient Greece; Spartans, Homer, Greek Astronomy, etc. We then began discussing California's budget crisis and what affect that would have on the schools. My best friend, whose son attends p.s., told us that the PTA pays for extra teachers to come in once and week and teach kids science and P.E. My husband was shocked! He's totally onboard w/ homeschooling but he doesn't quite understand my "stronger" stance against public schools. We live in an area with a good school district and parents who can financially "support" the PTA. The elementary schools in our town have strong test scores so many of our friends don't understand why we're homeschooling (not that I care) but a light bulb finally went off for him. I explained that with the pressure to obtain these test scores, public schools have all but eliminated History, Science, Athletics and Art programs. Schools just don't have the time or the money and if parents want their kids to have a well-rounded education, the responsibility falls on them. My husband finally said how sad it was that our friends kids will never get the same education that we can provide for our boys...Eureka! He finally got it! I'm still holding our hope for my best friend too. She's even attended a SWB seminar with me so there's still hope I can bring her over to the dark side! p.s. Is it "whose or who's?"

We're down in Northern San Diego County.

Hi All, My name is Tiffany and I live in sunny San Diego, CA. We've been homeschooling for 2 years now. I have 3 very active boys, ages 7, 4.5 & 2.5My oldest is almost finished with 1st grade. I'm already panicking thinking of adding a kindergartner into the mix in a few months! I would call myself an eclectic homeschooler. I don't use a packaged curriculum; I prefer to pick and choose my own. I do use the WTM as a model whenever possible. We're big fans of SOTW, MUS, GWG and SWR (don't you love all the acronyms!) I love books so I'm trying to instill that same passion in my boys. I have to admit though that my oldest is a bit of a reluctant reader. He's definitely getting better but he's not one to sit down and read a book all on his own. Oh well, I guess they all can't be perfect! My boys do enjoy surfing and skateboarding. My husband is already prepping me for when I'll have to work our school schedule around a big swell and do our work at the beach. I should probably change our name to "Not When the Surf's Up Academy" but that would probably prompt a visit by the state! I do enjoy the boards and I love gleening from everyone's experiences and opinions.

Where do you find the Knights Treasure chest?

I have been very satisfied with MUS. My ds who is 7 has almost finished with Beta. I like the fact that MUS focuses on one subject before moving on to another. If my son really "got" the lesson right away, we simply moved onto the next lesson. I also like having he the DVD. I have my son watch each lesson with me. I do supplement with Singapore's Challenging Word Problems. Each book is fairly inexpensive; about $8/book.

The author is Kate McMullan. I think I found them on Amazon. I also found a few at our local educational store. I'll list the titles of the first few book below: 1. The new kid at school 2. Revenge of the dragon lady 3. Class trip to the cave of doom We've read the 1st 3 so far and my boys love them. They're really light-hearted and funny.

My son really likes the Dragon Slayer's Academy series of books. I think there's over 20 books in the series. Very funny!

Bible: Reading thru The Child's Story Bible Math: Math U See-Gamma supplemented w/ Singapore's Challenging Word Problems History: SOTW 2 w/ Activity Guide Spelling: SWR Grammar: GWG and some FLL Writing: Copywork from whatever literature we're reading at the time. Possibly Writing Tales 1?? Literature: Medieval/Middle Ages literature to go along with SOTW 2. Easy chapter books for ds to read-aloud Science: RS4K or Noel Chemistry (haven't decided yet) Art/Music & Language at coop

We've been homeschooling for about 2 years now. I always thought I would send my kids to private school but as my oldest grew older I began to have doubts. First there was the cost...no to mention the time wasted in an all-day kindergarten. I have a masters degree in Forensic Science so I figured I could do this! I have to say that it's gone fairly well. There have been a lot of curriculum changes (I'm a bit of a curriculum-junkie) but I'm so thankful I found the WTM. My oldest is very social so I've had to make some compromises like allowing him to attend a coop once a week but it's all good! My new challenge will be trying to figure out how to incorporate my 2nd son into our schedule when he begins kindergarten soon. Yikes! I do appreciate all the wisdom and humor I find on this board. My quiver: ds 7, ds 41/2, ds2 1/2

I have used MUS for almost 3 years now and I am very satisfied. My son has now almost finished Beta. He seems to be grasping the concepts well. I have started supplementing with Singapore's Challenging Word Problems for a little variety.

My ds is 7 and gets easily distracted. He's not ADD by any means but sometimes has a hard time concentrating. He has 2 younger brothers that are always making noise so it's not easy to find a quiet place in the house. He's moving into more difficult math that requires more thought and concentration and I can see that he's making simple mistakes because he's losing his focus. I've heard that some kids listen to classical music on headphones while they're doing the work. Has anyone used this successfully or have any other methods that might work?